


Your Reflection

by Seriyah



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, F/M, Friendship, LadyNoir - Freeform, Love, WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR, and teenage dramatics, ask, bonus!DJWifi, plagg/tikki if you SQUINT, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 17:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19932109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seriyah/pseuds/Seriyah
Summary: A prompt storyShe liked Adrien, not Chat Noir. Not that she could tell Alya who Ladybug liked without spilling her super secret. She wasn’t nearly a good enough liar for that.  Tikki was still over by the tablet, looking at the picture of the superhero duo the young blogger had gotten. Ladybug was pondering over an item her lucky charm had given her, while Chat Noir stood guard before her, staff in hand as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.  Marinette saw partners and trust. Tikki saw devotion and a deeply rooted desire to protect.Ugh. It was now or never, she supposed.





	Your Reflection

**Author's Note:**

> Oringinally posted on tumblr. Thank you Harmonis for the prompt.
> 
> In which Plagg, Tikki, Alya and Nino have to do something about the obvious crushes

The buzz of streetlights was almost comforting in the dark of night. It droned on and on, uninterrupted and alone along the empty Parisian walkway.

If only for a moment. 

A rattle in a lonely alley drew the attention of the single being that drifted along this particular route, her indigo eyes unafraid. Her giggle was child-like. “You aren’t fooling anyone, alley cat!”

Green eyes flashed from behind a garbage can. “Hey! I’m no alley cat and you know it.” He extricated himself from his poor hiding place and met her face on, grin still in place. They were partners after all, he couldn’t be mad at her. Not when they were the earth’s oldest heroes, defending against evil.

Tikki giggled again.

Plagg purred.

The Kwamis of creation and destruction usually liked to watch over their respective charges throughout the night, but –occasionally- they snuck out to enjoy the nightlife with their other half. They always met in the city, their Ladybug and Chat Noir civilian aliases a secret even from each other (though they had their suspicions). Sometimes they sat in silence for hours, staring at the moon as it passed over the Eiffel Tower. Others, they pretended to dance around to music only they could hear, smiling and laughing. They may have been eons old, but Plagg had always insisted growing up was optional. Tikki just so happened to agree.

Tonight started with tag, dashing around the city shadows as they ran from each other while hiding from the world and ended with them sitting along the canal, talking about anything and everything. And, as they often did, they settled on the topic of their human counterparts.

Plagg was ranting.

“-ich I don’t understand, because it’s just so obvious it almost hurts to watch. Even when he’s out of costume he’s watching her with that Ladynet, camera blog thing.”

“Ladyblog,” Tikki corrected with a smile. 

“Whatever. I could live a hundred thousand more years, and I’ll never understand why humans have to make things so complicated.”

Tikki shook her head. She knew what he meant. Watching Marinette fawn over Adrien from afar was equal parts amusing and mortifying. How one human could be so clumsy was beyond her.

“Come on Tikki, you got to help a feline out, here.”

She tilted her head, “What do you mean?”

“Chat Noir is head over paws for your Ladybug and she won’t even give him the time of day! Can’t you say something to her?”

Tikki was violently shaking her head before he had even finished. “What? No way! We shouldn’t interfere with their feelings Plagg! Plus, Ma- I mean, my human already has someone she likes.”

“Not someone better than my boy,” the dark Kwami sniffed. “He certainly loves her way more than whoever that boy is.”

Tikki sighed. “I don’t think _anyone_ likes Ladybug as much as Chat Noir does, that much is true. Not even Chloé!” She chuckled, but Plagg was still grumbling. She eyes him suspiciously. It was unusual for Plagg to care about anything other than cheese. Certainly not romance. “What’s gotten into you, anyway? Why are you so grumpy?”

Her partner flinched, tail going rigid for a moment before he sighed, dangling feet kicking slightly. “Well, it’s just hard watching him try so hard. I normally wouldn’t care who my human likes… it’s just… you don’t know where he lives.”

Tkiki frowned. Where he lives? Why would that…?

“His home is so quiet. And his room is even more quiet. Even when he’s playing that game he likes it’s too quiet. No one sees him but me. And what I see is a sad boy in a big room who tried very hard for the girl he likes and I think it hurts him more than he says.” Plagg wrinkled his nose. “Not that he says much about that to begin with.”

Tikki was very still, not quite knowing what to say. Plagg was a lazy creature in more ways than one. His emotions were slow to rise and easily placated with dairy products. He’d dealt with his fair share of teenaged angst in his time, and for him to be so moved… the boy must be suffering.

The Kwami of creation bit her lip. But hadn’t she felt the same? Whenever Marinette’s nerves got the better of her, or she messed up, the self-critiquing she did in the days after made Tikki sad. When it came to Adrien, Marinette was so hard on herself. She didn’t understand what a truly brave, wonderful, beautiful girl she was. Adrien would have been lucky to have her, but he was naught but a distant star to her Marinette. She wasn't sure she understood Marinette’s obsession with him. The boy was a decent one as far as boys went, but was one friendly boy worth all the panic and sadness she put herself through? When there was another equally sweet, charming boy ready to catch her the moment she fell?

“Well. Maybe, I can speak with her. About, possibly being nicer to him.”

Plagg’s eyes widened joyously before his smile took a devious turn that made Tikki regret her decision almost immediately.

“Tell me more about this boy your girl likes.”

And so they continued talking long into the night and wee hours of the morning. Many of their nights ended in fond waves goodbye. Some ended in panicked fleeing, an alarm in a faraway room drawing them away. Some nights even ended in annoyed huffs and derisive sniffs. One couldn’t have a centuries old partnership without a few fights, after all.

This night, however, ended as not many did. With a devious snicker echoed by the soft sound of a tiny palm hitting a tiny forehead.

* * *

“Ladybug? Really? But how can he _possibly_ expect th-"

“I dunno Al, but I’m 100% sure I’m right."

Alya and Nino were sitting back to back on the floor of his room, each with a laptop balanced on their knees. The blogger was editing the first draft of her newest article on Paris’ dashing heroine while her male counterpart was stitching together a few beats of his own design, the headphones he wore half off so he could still participate in the conversation.

“Okay then. So what if Adrien likes Ladybug? A lot of people in Paris do. I have no proof of Ladybug even being interested in dating a civilian. And trust me. I’ve looked.”

Nino didn’t doubt it, but he shook his head anyway. “If anyone has a chance with Ladybug, it’s my man Adrien. That lucky jerk has it all.” He coughed when Alya elbowed him.

“You know who he has more of a chance with? _Marinette._ My friend who is madly in crush with him. She’s your friend too, Nino, and she deserves a chance. What does Ladybug have that Marinette doesn’t?”

Nino elbowed her back. “Red spandex and a magic yoyo?”

“See? Nothing that matters. No one ever fell in love with someone for their yoyo.”

She had a point, as she always did.

Nino sighed. “Yeah, but she can hardly talk to him. I doubt Ladybug has ever stuttered over the word ‘dance’ twelve different ways.”

Alya pushed back against Nino’s shoulders. “Yeah well… she’s just nervous, that’s all. And if Adrien looked at her for more than a second at a time, he’d be able to see past her awkwardness.” A wicked glint flickered through her spectacled eyes. “I know _you_ did, at one point.”

Embarrassment burned along Nino’s cheeks at the memory of his former crush. “Hey! That was… I wasn’t… I mean-“ Alya cackled even as he pushed back against her resistance, the both of them now leaning against each other. He hated that she was so cool with his history of liking her best friend. He also loved her for it.

“Don’t worry lover-boy. You gave me an idea.” She pushed the computer off her lap. “Do I have your cooperation?”

Nino unplugged his headphones, lop-sided grin already in place. “Only if you win.”

“Win what?” Alya asked with no real desire to know the answer. She had already been turning as Nino pushed back, the two dissolving into a pile of giggling limbs as they wrestled, the boy ignoring the little elbows in his ribs and the girl yelping whenever the brim of a hat bopped her nose. It only ended when they were both breathless, glasses askew and hands intertwined. Alya offered a sleepy “woo!” at her victory, only to squeal when Nino has enough energy to roll on top of her, pinning her to the ground under his body.

“Cheater.”

* * *

When Marinette Dupain-Cheng groaned it could have been for any number of reasons. Her daily dramas were never ending. From nosy best friends, catty school bullies, embarrassing scenes done in front of crushes, Marinette had no shortage social stressors to choose from. But that was only from half of her life. This particular groan was in relation to her other, secret life. One would assume a superhero such as Ladybug didn’t have to deal with such petty things as gossip and rumours, but Marinette was just lucky enough to have to deal with such things in both of her lives.

She pushed her chair away from her desk, tearing her eyes away from the Ladyblog. “I don’t know what Alya is thinking. There is no way Chat and I could be a thing. Why does everyone always think we are a thing? He’s my partner and so not my type. It’s just **ridiculous!** ”

She flopped dramatically on her bed for emphasis, sighing into her pillows. She liked Adrien, not Chat Noir. Not that she could tell Alya who Ladybug liked without spilling her super secret. She wasn’t nearly a good enough liar for that.

Tikki was still over by the tablet, looking at the picture of the superhero duo the young blogger had gotten. Ladybug was pondering over an item her lucky charm had given her, while Chat Noir stood guard before her, staff in hand as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

Marinette saw partners and trust. Tikki saw devotion and a deeply rooted desire to protect. Ugh. It was now or never, she supposed.

“Is it the puns? I think they’re charming.”

The human groaned again. “He thinks he’s charming. He thinks he can get any girl he wants just by wagging his tail at them. Well… not _this_ girl!”

Tikki drifted a bit closer. “Have you ever seen him wag his tail at any other girl but you?”

Marinette spluttered. “What? No, of course not. I’m not… it’s not like. I wouldn’t mind if he _did_ I’m just saying… I don’t even know who he is? He could be some sort of sweet-talking playboy for all I know! I like Cat. I really do. But he’s my _partner_ , Tikki. Plus, you know I like Adrien.”

Tikki refrained from sighing. These were all good points. She would have thought of them herself, in the same position. But she imagined in her mind’s eye an unmasked Chat sitting in a big empty room with a quiet feline kwami and she forged ahead.

“Yes, and as partners, you should make sure you get along.” She tried to make her next line as casual as possible. If Marinette thought it was anything other than friendly advice from her centuries old kwami she was in trouble. “How about next time you are annoyed with him, you picture him as Adrien? As… a random, non-specific example. Of course.”

The heroine’s head shot up, face turning red. “ **What!?** No way! Chat is… Adrien would never say those things!” Although she sort of wished he would. The thought of Adrien calling her Milady made her heart flip-flop. But the jokes. Ugh the jokes. No way. “No way,” she confirmed aloud, once more. Tikki deflated. Well. She’d done her best. She supposed she could share what Plagg had with her, the story of a lonely child. But it wasn’t her story to tell. She’d tell her other half what happened later.

For now, it was time to transform. A large theatre had been converted into a grand ballroom in a celebration held in Chat Noir and Ladybug’s honour, the two expected to make an appearance. Alya had been going on all week about it and was very specific with her suggestions for what Marinette should wear to the dance. Her promises that not only would Adrien be there, but would love her outfit were more than enough to spur her into unbridled glee. When she asked how Alya knew what Adrien liked she’d simply winked as answered with “got an inside scoop”.

She took a last glimpse of herself in the mirror before she grinned over at her Kwami. “Tikki, spots on!”

* * *

He was there before she was, green eyes on her the instant she appeared. When she alighted on the roof with him, he bowed. “Good evening, milady. A fine night for a dance, huh?” 

Ladybug looked up to the portentous storm clouds that grumbled miles above them, then down at the glass ceiling to the hundreds of people already milling around waiting for them. She made a face. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell nature from akuma powers. We’ll have to be on guard. Big events like these usually foster a hurt feeling or two.”

Chat Noir dimmed for a moment. So worried for their safety. She was the perfect protector… but she needed to loosen up just a touch. If only for the evening. He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Relax, Bugaboo. We’ll go down, do a quick catwalk, and be back defending the city from itself in no time.” She returned his shoulder with a shove and a smile. “I’m always nervous at dances. I just keep waiting for the moment I trip and fall flat on my face in front of the city.”

The black-clad boy scooted closer, claw tips walking over her shoulders as he draped an arm around her. “Then worry no more, princess. Be at ease knowing your own personal social guard is here to catch you at every adorable moment of weakness.”

He might have leaned closer if she hadn’t scoffed, ducking and twirling out of his grasp, arms crossed and hip cocked in that familiar way of hers. “And who’s going to catch you when you fall?” Rebuffed again. Both Kwami, incorporeal now, might have sighed if they had a means to.

Chat Noir grinned much like the cat that ate the canary before wagging his finger at her. “You should know the answer to that, Ladybug. Or haven’t you heard?” He jumped backwards, landing precariously near the edge of the building. He teetered, and Ladybug jerked forward instinctively, his smile now a smirk. “Cats always land on their feet.” He tilted. Then fell headfirst towards the ground.

Ladybug darted forward fueled with equal parts concern and exasperation. Peeking over the edge, she huffed as she caught sight of Chat’s elegant flourish. “Guh,” she managed to growl out even as she smiled, rolling her eyes. What a drama queen. How could Tikki even suggest him and Adrien were even remotely similar? Her sweet, kind, thoughtful classmate was nothing like this cheesy, brazen boy.

It was time to head down anyway, the ball starting any minute. Marinette may have made a habit of being late but Ladybug was usually quite punctual. She launched her yoyo at the nearest anchoring point, unaware of (or perhaps ignoring) the emerald stare that traced her every outline. When she landed she resumed her previous posture, crossing her arms. It was almost as if it were a defense, against what she didn’t know. Chat Noir’s affections? Maybe. Never seemed to deter him any, but it never hurt to stay consistent. “You are too much sometimes, you know that?”

Something wet tapped her shoulder. And then folded arm. She blinked. Rain? Her head tilted back, bluebell eyes taking stock of the heavy-looking clouds above her, catching the flight of one particularly fat water drop. It spun almost lazily, thrown around by the brief wind. It smacked into the light post above her head, dribbling down along the glass surface and rolling down the ornate design at its bottom. There, it gathered itself again, gravity pulling it earthbound once more, directly towards her face. Only, it didn’t make it all the way. In the time it took her to flutter her eyes closed in anticipation of the raindrop, something wide and black tilted over her face, shielding her from the sudden storm.

She opened her eyes at the sound of water hitting vinyl. First one drop, then many, her gaze drifting down to the leather clad arm that held the umbrella in place. Chat Noir’s face was gentle, but teasing. “But never enough for you, milady.”

That sweet expression. That open posture. Ladybug felt the heat rise to her face instantly, much to her dread and Chat Noir’s amazement. It was just like that first time. The day she realized she liked Adrien Agreste.

‘…picture him as Adrien…’ Tikki’s words floated, unbidden from her memory and she felt her blush deepen. Oh god. Why did Tikki have to say that?! Today, of all days. Where did he even _get an umbrella?!_

“W- I didn’t. You know I..” She started off her sentence with an un-Ladybug-like stutter, having a hard time looking Chat in the eyes without picturing Adrien’s face. But it was starting to really rain now, and while she remained dry, Chat was getting wet. He didn’t appear to mind, staring in rapt attention by the colour of her cheeks, her eyes, her hair. Reaching for the umbrella gave her another sense of déjà vu, fingers flinching before grabbing the handle from him, the boy reflexively letting go. But instead of moving away, Ladybug stepped forward, sidling close to fit them both under the umbrella. The red in her cheeks was slow to fade, but she managed to meet her partner’s curious gaze well enough.

“I would’ve thought you hated the rain, _petit chaton_.”

He managed to hold back the squeal at the pet name. Barely. “ _Au contraire_ , at this very moment there are few things I love more.” Especially if it meant he could hide under an umbrella with his Lady. He managed to link her free arm with his before she could protest. “The public awaits. Shall we?”

Ladybug was hesitant. The closeness she could endure, even with her brief identity confusion. But something about his earlier words made her pause, anchoring them in place when Chat tried to guide them up the stairs. He had been ready to apologize and detangle himself from her, but was caught in the headlight of her eyes.

The fact he nearly had the same colour eyes as her crush didn’t help the shade of her cheeks, heart fluttering briefly in her chest as she looked at him. “You know I’d never give you up, right? I can’t think of anyone else I’d r-rather have as a partner, Chat.” It was his turn to swoon, the tips of his ears turning red under the damp stands of hair. He gave her another soft smile that made her heart freeze. “I think we make a pretty great team too, milady.”

Ladybug rushed them up the stairs before she could embarrass herself any further. She had no idea what had gotten into her, but she definitely going to have some words with Tikki as soon as she got home. She sighed. Not that it was Tikki’s fault her brain was stupid and superimposed Adrien’s image over Chat Noir.

True to Chat Noir’s word, they were only needed for a few minutes. A brief speech was made. Thanks were accepted and returned. No one seemed too upset they wouldn’t be staying the entire night, staving off a possible akuma infestation. And then the super duo disappeared into the crowd, transforming back into their civilian selves, ready to be berated by Alya and Nino respectively for being late.

* * *

Adrien shook his hair out, still damp from the rain, but he couldn’t really feel it. He was floating, that light, heady feeling making him feel light as air. Ladybug really just was the most adorable. He’d never dreamed he could make her blush like that. He pulled over his jacket, looking at the small pair of glowing green orbs inside. He was currently tidying himself in the men’s restroom, no one else in sight. “How on earth did you know that would work, Plagg? That was…” He exhaled breathily, “…that was something else.” His Kwami ducked the question with a snigger, tucking himself in the jacket’s inside pocket with a last, “You owe me _so_ much cheese for that.”

“So much,” he agreed, not bothering to argue. He would’ve given anything to run his fingers along the flushed skin, to see if it felt as hot as it looked. He felt his own face burn up at the thought. That was enough of that. There was still a party to attend, Nathalie lost somewhere in the crowd, Chloé prowling around in a draping gold number as she searched for him. More importantly, Nino was waiting for him.

He stepped out of the washroom and into the busy room to find his friend. The centre of the room was reserved for the dancers, those socializing forming a giant ring around the dance floor, people talking and eating and laughing over the music. Everyone dressed elegantly, this being one of the more lavish and extravagant venues Paris had to offer. He saw people in fascinators, veils, masks, and he was pretty sure he saw someone walking with a jeweled cane. His father had him dressed well for the occasion, everything new and gleaming and white. The shine on his shoes could probably flag down an airplane in an emergency situation they were polished so well.

He saw Alya before Nino, the outspoken girl dressed in a rather stunning amaranthine dress that was hard to miss. Once spotted, it wasn’t difficult to pick out the well-dressed figure to her right, sporting a rather dapper bowler hat. Alya was wearing heels, and if it weren’t for his fancy headgear, Nino would’ve been about an inch shorter than her. Which, clearly, wouldn’t do.

Adrien was smiling when he waved to them. “You guys look great.”

Nino offered him a fist he accepted. “Hey man, thanks. Looks like you managed to get your model-self here in record time. “

“Yeah,” Alya snorted. “15 minutes late.”

Adrien shrugged apologetically. “Got lost in the crowd, I guess.”

She waved it off. “Still earlier than Marinette though. Jeez. I’m telling you, that girl would be late to her own funeral. You’d think she was making her dress _now_.”

Adrien’s curiosity was peaked. “Making? She made her own dress?”

Alya slung her arm around Nino’s shoulders, rather enjoying the extra height the shoes gave her. “Oh yeah. Of course she made it. My girl’s going to be the most famous designer in Paris someday Adrien. Your dad better watch his back.”

He managed a half-hearted chuckle. Maybe when he was done overbearingly watching his son’s back, he’d make time in his busy schedule to watch his own. “I’ll let him know.”

“Is… is that her, Al?” Nino asked, peering over Adrien’s head, eyes wide behind the frames.

“Yeah it there. There you are, girl! Where have you been?”

“Sorry, Alya! I just can’t seem to get this bow to… sit…straight…”

Adrien turned to greet her, and the both of them froze. He didn’t realize he had started speaking, startled into action.

“Mil-“

“Wow you look amazing, Marinette!”

He nearly bit his tongue at the realization of what he almost said. This was not his Lady Luck, but he couldn’t really blame himself for nearly being tricked. Her black dress had rich red spots moving in straight lines, the circles getting smaller the closer they got to her waist. What stood out were her bright red shoes, (flats, of course, he couldn’t picture Marinette in heels. Not standing upright, anyway) and the matching ribbon she was fidgeting with in her hair. Over her eyes was a scarlet mask lined in black.

The subtle tapping on his chest broke him out of his stupor. He’d have to thank Plagg later for reminding him not to gape. He managed to school his face into a more appropriate smile, realizing he’d pinned the girl in place with his unwanted ogling.

“I’d say I can’t believe you made that dress yourself, but that wouldn’t do your skill justice! You look great, Marinette.”

Nino clapped his hands. “Yeah Marinette, you’d make a killer Ladybug, right Alya?”

The blogger lifted her hands, framing the stammering girl between her fingers. “Like a reverse Ladybug. Much more pleasant than the Antibug though, I’m sure we can all agree.”

The girl in question abandoned her quest in making a hair bow in favour of waving her arms frantically. “No way! I… I am way too c-clumsy to... do the- magic flippy thing. The yoyo thing with the flipping. And landing. Because of… you know. Being clumsy.” Her face was growing more red by the second, her hands coming up to cover her face. Her eyes screamed ‘help me’ to her scheming friends.

Adrien hadn’t realized he’d been staring again.

Even knowing it was Marinette under that mask, his lovesick brain couldn’t help but pay attention to the black-haired, blue eyed girl in the mask. For all their differences, they were startlingly similar, and much like Pavlov’s dog, here came Adrien, tail wagging and tongue lolling.

He made a mental note to check his tongue was not actually hanging out of his mouth.

It wasn’t.

_Thank god_.

He pulled his attention away from her masked face ( _it’s not her, you idiot. Stop scaring the poor girl!_ ) to the ribbon that slid from her hair, moving forward to grab it before it reached the ground. She nearly flinched away from him, relaxing slightly when he showed her the ribbon. “Did you need help?”

Marinette’s eyes flickered from Adrien to Alya, the latter raising her hands in surrender. “Don’t look at me. I’m good at unraveling mysteries. Not tying them back up again.” Nino was similarly no help.

She looked back at Adrien, who still held her ribbon. “I can probably manage a simple knot. That is, if you don’t mind?” He was gentle, aware the girl was more than a little nervous around him, whatever her reasons.

“Oh. Um. Yes. I mean no. No. I don’t mind. Please. Yes please, I mean.”

Alya linked her arm with Nino’s. “Your dad helped cater tonight, right Mare? We’re going to go see if we can find some off those tart things. Nino’s never had them.” She steered him around before she had even finished talking. “Sooo good. You’re gunna think you died and gone to heaven, Nino. Take your time girl, we’ll be by the food. See you soon-love you-byeee.”

And then they were gone, disappearing into the crowd as Marinette’s mouth sagged open in horror, Adrien looking after them in with a quirked brow. She’d managed to scrape her jaw off the floor by the time he turned back, hands fidgeting with the red clasp she had slung around her shoulder. “They make a good pair, huh? Weird… but good.”

“Huh? Ah! You mean… yes. I-I think so too. Very weird. I mean **good**. Very good.”

“If you turn around I can help you with your bow.” The area against the wall here was quiet enough they shouldn’t be disturbed by too many people walking by. He smiled. “I’ll try not to do you a disservice.”

She jolted at that. “You’re not-! I’m sure you’ll do fine. Perfect. You’ll be- you’ll do perfect. I’m _sure_.”

He chuckled a little at her assertions. At least one of them had faith in his bow tying abilities. No pressure or anything. She finally turned around, the stiff movements like clockwork. Adrien paused, unable to reign in his eyes, the wandering orbs drifting up and down her lovely figure. Looking away from him and holding still, he could trick himself into believing she was Ladybug again. Her hair was down, raven locks laying flat against the gentle arch of her neck. He followed the natural line down to her shoulders, bare but for the ebony strap of her dress, a highway of black marring the otherwise milky skin.

He reached for her hair, trying to keep his thoughts at bay, the collar of his shirt feeling a little too tight against his suddenly warm throat. He threaded the ribbon under the soft tresses, trying to remember how the director of the last shoot had tied it for her daughter. His fingers brushed her scalp and she squeaked, the sound nearly making him jump. “Sorry, “ he apologized. She waved her hands in a fashion that could have meant ‘don’t worry about it’ or could’ve easily been ‘I’m currently choking to death dear lord in the heavens above help me’. Despite the strong evidence supporting each theory Adrien decided on the former, rather than the latter, seeing as the skin on her neck was flushing red rather than turning blue.

Her bow was done, but his fingers lingered, slowly untangling himself as he watched the rosy colour on her neck blossom. His mind wandered back to Ladybug. He hadn’t seen Ladybug out of uniform, naturally. But he liked to imagine she’d look something like this. Slender but strong, smooth, soft, eggshell skin. He recalled Ladybug's blush from earlier. Savouring it. Would her neck get red like this too? he wondered. Her thin shoulders shaking under his hands? Goosebumps raising up under his thumbs? And suddenly it was all systems abort. Abort Adrien abort _you are holding onto **Marinette’s shoulders what are you doing!?** You need to let go right this instant._ Actually, she was shaking so badly maybe it would’ve been better to hold onto her, in case she fell to pieces.

But Adrien, in one glorious moment of panic-induced genius, forcefully turned her around, giving her shoulders a squeeze and a pat before releasing them. “There! A bow. Voila!” Perfect. It wasn’t awkward. No way. Couldn’t be awkward unless you made it awkward. And there was no way in hell he was making this awkward, dammit. Her smile wobbled slightly, but she didn’t seem too mentally scarred with his impromptu groping. _Thank god_.

He mentally berated himself. What did he think he was doing? Imagining Ladybug looked like this? There was no way she could ‘look like this’ because ‘this’ so happened to be _Marinette_. His _classmate_. His _friend_. He’d tried hard in his own way to win her over after that less than ideal first meeting and he’d be damned if he ruined it by scaring her when he imposed his delusional fantasies on her.

Her fingers moved up, tracing along the edge of her bow. Her smile seemed a little more sure now, and he hoped beyond hope his face remained pleasant and open when she shyly offered a small, “Thank-you.” Ladybug was stunning but Marinette, well. She was downright _cute_.

Adrien smiled back, locking away his comparisons for now, sure to examine them at a later date.

“Anytime. Alya and Nino could be anywhere by now.” He took a cursory glance around, but was right in not getting his hopes up. He tilted his head. “While we're here… did you want to dance?” Marinette’s eyes widened. “I could show you the steps, if you didn’t know. It’s really easy, trust me.”

Her face lit up like a firework, bright, but brief, before she wrinkled her nose, eyes focusing on the floor. “I’m… pretty clumsy. I’d probably just st-step on your toes.” She groaned. “Or fall.”

He didn’t know if it was an instinctual reply or if it was because in this moment she reminded him of Ladybug, but he spoke while offering his hand. “Don’t worry. My toes will be extra vigilant.” He smiled.

“I won’t let you fall.”

Marinette’s blush seemed like a semi-permanent fixture, and her mouth opened once before she closed it again, no sound coming out. She was frazzled, but she accepted, allowing herself to be led onto the dancefloor, where Adrien was pleased to find she was an acceptable dancer… when she wasn’t stepping on his toes.

They rediscovered their friends not too long after, and the night went by in a blur of food, music and laughter. Nathalie collected him first, tomorrow an early day for his schedule. She absentmindedly chastised him for the scuffs on his shoes, and was pleasantly surprised by the chuckle it invoked in him upon seeing them, glad he had gone to an event that made him happy.

Both teens returned to their houses a little dazed and a little confused. They both examined themselves in a mirror, witnessing the happy glow the exuded for themselves. They threw themselves into their respective beds and sighed a dreamy sigh. Tikki bounced happily along her pillow as her human vented. Plagg lounged idly along his closet door, eating Camembert contentedly as his human gushed.

Marinette and Adrien dreamed of each other that night, though neither of them knew it.


End file.
